Tobacco-pipe cleaner.



TUBAGCU PIPE CLEANER.

(Application meaoet. '7,` 1901.)

(No Model.)

Liq: A

551i; atto? ne Pafenied 1an. 7, 4902.

Mw ifm.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN FREDERICK FORTH, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y.

TOBACCO-PIPEv CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 690,717, dated January 7, 1902.

Application filed October 7, 190]. 'Serial No. 77,839. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known thatLJoHN FEEDEEICKFOETH, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of New York city, New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tobacco-Pipe Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a tobacco-pipe cleaner, and has for its object to produce one which shall be cheap and efficient. It is necessary with these devices that they should have a certain degree of stiness to enable them to be readily inserted in the stem of the pipe and yet have sufficient flexibility to follow any irregularity readily and to permit them to be coiled easily and brought back into shape for insertion with facility. As they must be sold at a very low price, it is of the utmost imv portance that they be cheaply constructed.

This is particularly so because they are generally thrown away after a single use. Some attempts have been made to produce these articles-one consisting of a piece of hemp cord or other loose cord stiffened for a part of its length by shellac. The objection to this has been that it is apt to get lumpy and bend, so that it will fail to pass through. Another form has consisted of a wire core with a braided covering of fibrous material, the core being wrapped around the end of the braid. This was effectivein some degree, but unduly-costly to make, and the braided covering was apt to slip on the wire. In addition, it could only be passed through the pipe in on e direction. y

The improved form of the device which I have invented admits of being reciprocated in the pipe-stem and is at the same time exceedingly cheap and elfective. It consists, in general, of a center or core of absorbent material inclosed in braided or twisted wires. For absorbent material I prefer to use paper, which may be plaited, folded, or twisted; but by preference it is folded, inasmuch as the wires furnish the necessary stiffness for its use in this form. A small portion of the end of the cleaner may be left uncovered, so that the paper will form a little brush, assisting in cleaning the tube.

The accompanying drawing shows a pipecleaner constructed according to my invention.

In the drawing, A is the core of absorbent material. As before stated, I prefer paper; but other substances might be used, provided they are suiciently absorbent. As indicated in the drawing,the core is formed by folding the paper, The wires B are braided about it, pressing it to the form shown in the drawing. A small portion A' of the paper 0r other fibrous substance is left uncovered and forms the brush already referred to. The brush A' might, if desired, be omitted, although this would not be so good a construction. ertheless the cleaner would be efficacious, the

Nev-

scraping or rasping of the wires over the accretions in the pipe-stem removing them very well, although the operation is more perfect,

of folded paper with wires plaited around i substantially the entire outside thereof, a portion of the paper being uncoveredso as to form a brush. f

In witness whereof I have hereunto vset my hand, this 4th day of October, in the year 1901, in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN FREDERICK FORTH.

Witn esses:

T. J. JOHNSTON, ERMINA E. .WALKER 

